God designed and uses both Law and Gospel to awaken us to our need for Him and to help us experience Him. There are parts of the Bible in both Testaments which can be referred to as “Law” and there are parts in both testaments which can be described as “Gospel.”
We can identify that something is Law when it reveals God’s standards for living. We see this in Exodus 20 when God gives us the Ten Commandments and we see it in Matthew 5,6, 7 when Jesus gives us the Sermon on the Mount. We see evidence of Gospel when we see that God declared Abraham righteous by faith (not by works- see Genesis 15) and in Psalms (especially 103) when it is evident that David knows he’s “right” with God on the basis of God’s mercy (not his performance).
The New Testament (especially Romans 3:20 and 7:7) help us see that the Law is a diagnostic tool, like an X-ray, to help us identify sin in our lives. Like an X-ray, the Law can’t fix what it diagnoses; it simply motivates us to find help. The help is the Gospel. The Gospel’s focus, insofar as any individual is concerned, is not on doing but on RECEIVING.
Sometimes a loved one who is living in darkness needs the Law in the form of direct and unvarnished truth and boundaries. If my “Stanley” is in denial or is lying to me and manipulating me, I can lovingly say, “Stanley, I don’t believe you are shooting straight with me. If you aren’t truthful, I can’t trust you. If I can’t trust you, how can we have a relationship?” If my “Stanley” has stolen from me, I can say, “Stanley” until you replace what you took from my home, I don’t want you in my home.”
I can show Gospel even when I must demonstrate tough love (Law), by continuing to show “Stanley” that even in the midst of our tension, my love is not based on his behaviors. I find it best when I include others in helping me discern when Law or when Gospel is needed.
Am I making sense?
More next week.